Eckrich, Operation Homefront and Vons Partner to Honor Military Family

LISLE, Ill., March 23, 2016 -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Vons and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Garden Grove, Calif. military family on Tuesday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a80d698c-3a19-4859-bb4e-0f273ee72ff9

Eckrich hosted a special presentation outside the Vons in Garden Grove, Calif. to honor, thank and support the Carnegie family for their service. University of Southern California (USC) alum and current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Barkley, who holds 20 career, season and single-game records, was a guest at the event and presented the family with a gift of free groceries for one year at Vons, courtesy of Eckrich.

“It’s an honor to partner with Eckrich to recognize our military families,” said Barkley. “To see their reaction when we presented them with a year of free groceries on behalf of Eckrich was special. They were overjoyed.”

Justin Carnegie served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. He suffers from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after sustaining injuries during a blast while deployed in Iraq. He and his caretaker wife, Ivy, live in Fullerton, Calif.

“It’s nice to see there are companies like Eckrich out there, recognizing service members and their sacrifices,” said Justin Carnegie. “I’m very thankful.”

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront.  The Carnegie family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor^® program, a network of caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members.  Operation Homefront supports these caregivers through annual retreats, support groups and online communities.

Eckrich, entering its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2 million to the organization since 2012.

“Eckrich is proud to partner with Vons to help us honor our military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We are grateful Matt Barkley was able to make today’s event extra special.  We also appreciate the support of Vons as we continue our mission to honor, thank and support military families across the country. We thank the Carnegie family for their service and sacrifice and are proud to present them with one year of free groceries.”

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com. Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Eckrich 
Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Ind. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Operation Homefront
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 92 percent of Operation Homefront’s expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

Contacts:
Faye Shroff
Breaking Limits for Eckrich
Cell: 704-591-4353
E-Mail: [email protected]